Tribal Relations with Traders and Tribal Rebellions

The British set its foot in the administrative sphere of India from around 1858. It was then witnessed that they were keen on changing the economic, political, administrative, and several other laws for their benefit. Among other communities, tribals were the most oppressed class. Earlier, they were dependent on forest land for their livelihood. However, the insurgence of the British in India caused tremendous upheavals in their simple lifestyle. The tribal communities wished to remain conservative. They were interested in retaining their culture and other significant aspects of their community. This spoiled the tribal relations with the outsiders, a.k.a., dikus. 

A massive tribal rebellion started against the oppressors as the tribal relations gradually took a wrong turn because of their exploitative nature. The intervention of the British in their society and their intent to change their pre-existing norms aggravated the tribals and led to anti-colonial movements.

Tribes in India

A tribe is a social division in a traditional society consisting of families linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect. A tribe possesses certain qualities and characteristics that make it a unique cultural, social, and political entity.

Their livelihood was dependent on agriculture and hunting activities. There was no distinction of castes or sects in the tribal society. All of them belonged to the same kinship. Some of the most common tribes were Mundas, Khasis, Gonds, Santhals, Bhils, Oraons, etc. These indigenous people had their own set of customs, traditions, and laws which governed their community.

During colonial rule, the British took charge of most of the administrative sector in India. This led to drastic changes and reformations in the economic, political, and social laws, which were detrimental to the tribal societies. The tribal population was forced to do slavery and was devoid of rights by the outsiders known as dikus. These outsiders consisted of moneylenders, administrative officials, traders, landlords, etc. The dikus were the ones who collaborated with the British government to suck the life out of tribals by oppressing and exploiting them. The tribal chiefs were not ready to accept this kind of fate, and thus, the rebellion of tribals against colonial rule began. 

Impact of colonial rule and forest laws on the tribes

The British Empire destroyed the tribal societies. It was evident because the Europeans established a market economy in place of the already existing system. Traders, landlords, and other businessmen were deployed in the land of tribals who initiated the mandatory land and house rent system. The tribals were forced to stay as tenants and pay an exorbitant rent to the landlords. They didn’t have money to pay the rent, because of which they had to take loans from the moneylenders. Unfortunately, debt and loans compelled them to sell their possessions to meet the landlords’ and moneylenders’ requirements. 

The forest laws formulated by the British in the year 1884 divested the tribals of their land. The developmental activities, such as constructing roads, railways, telegraph channels, etc., ruined the forest areas. The British government compensate them for losing the land, but in the process of availing the money, the intermediaries such as munshis and landlords took their share, and these tribes were left with nothing. The customary rights of the tribals to use the forest goods were snatched from them. If they surpassed the laws, they had to pay heavy penalties for doing so. The increasing prices of commodities made life impossible for the tribals.

Issues with traders

The landlords and businessmen often visited the forests to buy the produce. They wished to recruit the tribals to work for them and paid cash loans as well as wages in return. The tribals were surprised by the behaviour and wanted to know the consequences. 

For instance, in Hazaribagh, the tribals were forced to cultivate silk. They were offered around Rs 3 or 4 as their wage for rearing a thousand cocoons. However, the amount they were earning was manifold lesser than what was being sold in the markets. The tribals were suffering, whereas the middlemen were being profiting in the process. This market economy and business development within the society never pleased the tribals. The tribals were deprived of their rights, perceiving traders and market economies as their foes.  

Significant rebels in the past

The tribal relations with the middlemen, moneylenders, landlords, and the government were not pleasant. The tribal communities disliked the oppressive and obnoxious behaviour of the Europeans. Therefore, they formed rebel groups to fight against the social evils or the imposed laws by the British government. The anti-colonial revolts were headed by tribal chiefs such as Tilka Manjhi, who was leading the Manjhi revolt, Tirot Singh for the Khasi Rebellion, Sidhu Kanhu, the leaders of Santhal Hul, and more such tribal heroes. The tribal uprisings consisted of revolutionary intent, and the tribal communities religiously followed the movements. 

Important tribal rebellion events in the history

Some tribal revolts caught the attention of the masses. These movements were aimed at eradicating the evil tendencies of the dikus. The prominent rebel movements are listed below-

• Kols Rebellion in the year 1831-1832
• The Revolution led by Santhals in 1855
• Central India’s Bastar Revolution in 1910
• Warli Rebellion in the year 1940 in Maharashtra.

Conclusion

The tribal population was one of the most secluded and oppressed communities. The history reveals the facts about their exploitation which was one of the significant reasons behind their rebellious motives. They wished to have their identity, contemporary laws, customs, and traditions in their clan. However, with developments coming in, tribals were deprived of their rights. The tribal chiefs were the most respected leaders in their clans, and under their guidance, the anti-colonial activities were operated. It was often perceived that they revolted against the exploiters to support the Indian National Movement. Thus, the British government confiscated their land and punished them for their activities.